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Feds who make more than $180,000 a year make up less than one percent of the federal workforce. Leading that pack are doctors, lawyers and dentists. Doctors held roughly eight out of 10 of the top-salaried jobs.

Ms.Kubota:
Why is FederalRadioNews.com using deliberately false data from USA Today to rile the public up, once again, against Federal Employees because we supposedly make so much more than our counterparts in the private sector? Instead of just simply posting what USA Today came up with as so-called facts as to who are the most paid Federal Employees by occupation, why did not you, your Editor, or whomever is in charge of such a task at FederalRadioNews.com, simply do some basic research and homework for yourselves? Here is the gist of what I am saying: When are you people in the media and the public going to understand and realize, that Federal Employee pay is not based upon a person’s position but their rank? Yes that is correct: Federal Employee pay is determined by our rank or longevity, not by what position we hold.
Under the GS (or General Schedule) pay system the highest paid Federal Employees are GS-15’s, who make no more than $155,000 annually—at the most. (See OPM Salary Table based on highest cost of living: http://www.opm.gov/oca/11tables/html/sf.asp) Under a Pay Band system the amount of pay is equivalent or slightly higher, depending qualifications and skill set. However, the only individuals within the Federal Government, in the Executive Branch of Government, who earn at least $180,000 or more annually, are those within the SES or Senior Executive Services. Furthermore, depending on what rank they are on the SES scale determines how much pay such an individual would receive but at the very least, for minimum pay, a first starting SES only makes $119,554 (See OPM Salary for base Executive pay here: http://www.opm.gov/oca/11tables/html/ex.asp and Basic Pay for SES Members here: http://www.opm.gov/oca/11tables/html/es.asp)
How can there be even an inkling of an honest debate regarding this issue if media related entities such as FederalNewsRadio.com and The Washington Post, which are supposed to be fair, balanced, and credible sources of information, publish drivel such as this? You lose credibility when relying on deliberately biased and numerically false data, which is quite trite, rather than doing your own research. Stop depending on USA Today to get your information, and get your act together; do some real, honest, and diligent research to contribute toward this debate, not simply play into the simpleton notion of “Feds make too much money, more than their private counterparts, because USA Today and crew say they do!” Get real, be serious, and do your jobs as muckraking journalists, not tabloid crew hosts.

...who make more than 180K a year are only one percent of the Federal workforce according to the article, if I'm reading this correctly. Maybe more emphasis should have been on how that's only one percent and the rest of us are in the remaining 99 percent? A few people aren't going to notice the 'one percent' but only look at the salary of 180K and the numbers reflecting each agency, etc...but maybe this could be an idea to Mr Boehner and company to just whack the SES ranks and eliminate a major chunk of salary right off the bat! You know the titles..."Deputy Assistant to the Second Assistant to the Executive Under Secretary of the Third Rank Horse Holder to the Senior Assistant Coffee, Juice, and Pastry Person! AND, it's a political appointee position! Seriously, though, we're way too top heavy and when one sees a GS-14 'managing' two people because the rest are on paper, then you know there's bloat in the Federal Service! I managed more people, and with more responsibility, as a 19 year old Marine Corporal, AND with way less salary! I understand the position that the preceeding commentator is taking but isn't it a bit harsh to flail away at either WTOP or USA Today...after all, the data came from OPM.

Well it sure as heck wasn't me and I worked my butt off. My lazy, useless male "coworkers" were the same grade as me but didn't even perform the basic requirements of the job. Yet in my sexist DoD agency they got a free pass because they were male.